Rockpool Group to Back Pay Workers $1.6 Million

The restaurant group helmed by celebrity chef Neil Perry employs more than 2400 people.

Neil Perry

Published on 15 October 2018

by Nick Buckley

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Rockpool Dining Group (RDG) – the hospitality company led by acclaimed chef Neil Perry – will back pay staff $1.6 million following a payroll review conducted by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The group employs 2400 people and has an approximate annual payroll of $100 million.

“Like many businesses in the restaurant industry, the group has had to work hard to replace and modernise legacy systems and procedures and that work continues,” it said in a statement on its website.

In June, a Fairfax Media investigation alleged RDG had underpaid staff at several of its restaurants. The group denied the allegations at the time.

“We are now notifying eligible employees of their personal outcomes, and will begin processing payments immediately,” RDG said in its statement. “We will separately be reaching out to former employees in the coming days.”

It’s not known which of the group’s restaurants, or how many employees, were affected by wage inaccuracies.

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“Rockpool will look at performing reconciliations for prior years despite each segment of the group being under different ownership previously,” RDG’s statement said.

The group has characterised the back payments as “top ups” to annualised salaries earned by staff that have not received overtime payments. The Fairfax Media investigation alleged some chefs at the group were working between 15 to 30 hours of unpaid overtime on top of their 38 hour per week salary.

RDG also said in the statement it is working to improve payroll policies and procedures through IT standardisation, “more rigorous and regular monitoring” of employment obligations, and senior human-resources hires. The group is working with the Fair Work Ombudsman on the changes.